Process of treating impure copper matte and ores.



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from these impurities.

A further step in the present invention consists in the 'followings To the material vto be smelted in the reverberatory furnace a larger amount of copper oXid is incorporated than is necessary of the,y Y reaction which takes place between the copper sulid and the copper oXd. This may be edected either by burning ofi' a correspondingly larger proportion of sulfur or by,adding any copper oXid bearing fiuxes to the mass before or after the blowing process. Thus a certain excess of copper is present in the fused bath formed in the reverberatory furnace, and this excess of copper oXid causes a further refining of the black copper by oxidizing the metallic lead as well as other imurities, such as 'arsenic and antimony and riving them into the slag.

Copper matte, which may contain smaller or larger quantities of lead, and to which have been added smaller quantities of an alloy of lead, copper and arsenic, such as is often found in vlead blast furnace work deposited in a thin layer between the leadbullion and the matte, may be treated in the same manner, and copper and lead thus obtained in a simple and cheap Way. By this treatment the greater art of the arsenic contained in the alloy is Volatilized in the blowing process, while the remaining part is converted into arseniate of lead, the lead content of the alloy being converted into lead silicate. By the subsequent smelting in the reverberatory furnace the lead and the remaining arsenic enter the slag in the above described manner, and black copper poor in lead and arsenic is produced.

Now what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is the following:

l. The process for eliminating lead arsenic, antimony and other impurities from impure cupriferous substances, consisting in converting such substances into a sintered and agglomerated mass, which contains lead as silicate and the other impurities in a slag-ged form, while copper is contained partly as an oxid or metallic copper, and 5o partly as a sulfid, and then smelting down the sintered and agglomerated mass in a reverberatory furnace; the resulting product being almost pure copper and a slag containing the lead and other impurities.

2. The process for eliminating lead arsenic, antimony and other impurities, from impure cupriferous substances, consisting 'in incorporating 'with such substances a cerltain amount of copper oXid and converting it into a sintered` and agglomerated mass, which contains lead as silicate and the other impurities in a slagged forni, while copper is contained partly as an oXidor metallic copper, and partly as a sulid, and then sinelting down the sintered and agglomerated mass in a reverberatory furnace; the resulting product being almost pure copper and a slagcontaining the lead and other impurities,

3. The process for eliminating lead arsenic, antimony and'other impuritiescfrom impure cupriferous substances, consisting in first converting such substances into a sintered and agglomera'ted mass, which contains lead as silicate and the other impurities in a slagged form, While copper is con'- tained partly as an oziid or metallic copper and partly a sullid,`the contents of cop er oxid present in the mass being kept hig ier than is necessary for the reaction between copper oxid and copper sullid, and then smelting down the sintered and agglomerated mass in a reverberatory furnace; the resultingl product being almost pure copper and a slag containing the lead and other impurities.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence of two witnesses,'this eighth day 90 of March 1909. A

HERMANN MLSGHMEYER. Witnesses GAB. Dn Lnnsr, ARTHUR ADAMS. 

